1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a closure assembly for the discharge port of a syringe, which may include a tamper evident structure. A supporting container or other support base is cooperatively structured with the closure to removably but fixedly support it in an operative orientation, which facilitates the rotational attachment of the syringe to the closure while still in the container. As result, the need to touch or handle the closure, in order to connect it to the syringe, is eliminated or significantly reduced. The present invention is further directed to a tracking system associated with the closure assembly. The inventive tracking system comprises visually and/or electronically readable identifying codes disposed on both the interior and exterior components of the closure assembly, and the tracking thereof along a distribution route. The distribution route may extend from initially, a point of manufacture and assembly of the closure assembly, to finally, a point of use of the pre-filled syringe on a patient, wherein the identifying codes on the closure assembly may be monitored at any of a plurality of distribution and or transport points of the closure assembly therebetween.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is very common for medical doctors and other authorized medical personnel to order that a patient be given a drug or medication by injection. In fact, it is currently estimated that more than 16 billion injections are administered on a worldwide basis in any given year. Clearly, a number of safety issues are associated with giving injections. One top concern relates to the avoidance of contamination by bacteria, germs or other microbial organisms. Because of this, and because of the potential for theft of and/or tampering with medicines intended for injection, an important concern relates to minimizing the number of people handling syringes which are filled or to be filled with medication.
As a result, it is becoming relatively common in hospital settings for a number of syringes to be pre-loaded or filled by a pharmacist, or other authorized personnel within a hospital or similar facility, at an appropriate location for subsequent dispensing of same to one or more nursing stations, and then to patients. The pharmacy or other location where syringes are filled can and often will be located in a remote part of the hospital, relative to the patient care area where the injection is to be administered. In some cases, the loading of syringes occurs in another building or facility entirely, often referred to as “third party pharmacies.” This may even be a growing trend among hospitals to limit certain costs. Regardless, a syringe filling station at a large medical facility may resemble a factory, from which drug loaded syringes are delivered to a large number of nurse's stations in multiple hospital or medical buildings. Because many nurse's stations are typically located very remote and from a syringe filling station, a loaded syringe is quite often given to another person for delivery to a nurse's station, for subsequent dosing of the patient by qualified personnel.
From the foregoing, it may be understood that during the course of loading a syringe with a drug, and also afterwards, when a loaded syringe is delivered to a nurse's station, or even subsequently to a patient, the syringe can easily be handled by more than just one or two people. This, in turn, increases the chance for the syringe to become contaminated, by exposure to bacteria, germs, etc., which could possibly then be introduced into a patient's body tissues, and which could potentially lead to infection, presenting in turn, dangerous and possibly fatal effects on the patient. Consequently, and from the above, the concern for and the high level of importance associated with maintaining the sterility of a syringe will be better understood.
Also, and especially in the case of a very expensive drug or an addictive drug, such as but not limited to morphine, there is some danger that a pre-loaded syringe will be tampered with by a person seeking to improperly gain access to the drug, whether to use it himself, or to try to sell it illegally. A resulting danger also exists in that if an unauthorized person were actually to access to the prescribed medicine, he or she might inappropriately substitute saline solution or some other unauthorized substance in the syringe. By way of example only, if saline solution were substituted for a dose of morphine, this could have extremely serious consequences. Thus, the growing use of syringes which are pre-loaded with a drug presents another problem in that it is important to know if the sealed and/or pre-loaded syringe has, or has not, been tampered with and exposed to contamination or might otherwise have been compromised.
The benefits of using a pre-filled syringe, and of being able to readily determine whether or not it has been tampered with, are abundantly clear. Drugs and medications are specific to each particular patient's disorder or disease being treated. In addition, interactions between drugs and medications given to a patient incorrectly can have serious and deadly consequences. It is, therefore, important to know that a particular medication being injected is, in fact, the drug that was prescribed by the treating physician, and that it has not been replaced by another compound. Moreover, some drugs can have harmful effects in large doses. Accordingly, it is also important to ensure that the proper dosage is followed, as prescribed. Since pre-filled syringes are prepared in advance of being delivered and used, they may be loaded carefully by a pharmacist or other similarly qualified individual to ensure the appropriate medication and dose is prepared. This reduces errors on injection by nurses or physicians who may be in a stressful or time-sensitive situation and may not have the luxury of verifying the correct medication or measuring out a dose, particularly small doses, from a source vial.
Pre-filled syringes are also particularly useful in view of the recent shortage of medications and other injectables, such as narcotics or epinephrine for example. Some drugs and medications, even those which are essential for treating life-threatening diseases, are currently in drastically short supply, due to several factors. For example, during the manufacturing process of some medications, it can occur and has happened for whole batches to become contaminated, such as by bacteria or other microorganisms that could cause infection upon injection, thereby rendering quantities of medications unusable, which in turn, reduces the overall stock of available medications. In addition, manufacturing capacity issues, such the availability and increased cost of raw materials and transportation, as well as lower profit margins, are contributing factors that also result in reduced quantities of medications being produced, and therefore, available to patients. Accordingly, the supply of drugs that are available and safe for use is starting to be viewed as a precious commodity, with little to no room for waste. The use of pre-filled syringes helps significantly to ensure that only the exact amount of medicine or drugs prescribed are being used, thereby helping to eliminate waste. Also, by having a pharmacist or other qualified person at a filling station preparing the pre-filled syringes, even at a location distant from the patient treatment site helps to ensure that the exact amount of medication needed is delivered. This also circumvents the theft of drugs by “accidental” taking of excess medication, such as to siphon some off for personal use or another non-prescribed purpose, which has unfortunately been known to occur. Accordingly, the use of pre-filled syringes helps maintain the stock of these important drugs so that they may be available to the patients truly in need of them. Further, any unused pre-filled syringes may be recycled so that unused medication does not go to waste. This is only possible, however, if there is some way to determine that a pre-filled syringe has not been tampered with or compromised, thereby verifying the integrity of the contents.
Despite attempts in the past to prevent unauthorized access to syringe(s) pre-loaded with a drug or medication, it is understood that some problems continue to exist in this field of art. Such problems include the ability to manufacture syringes, and/or accessories therefor, in an inexpensive and yet effective manner. Other problems exist relative to the number of people that might handle pre-filled syringes, which in turn, poses a challenge to maintaining the sterility of the syringes and/or accessories, whether during storage at the manufacturing facility, during the transport thereof from such a facility to a hospital or other medical facility, and then to a nursing station and ultimately, to a patient care area.
Accordingly, there is a need in the relevant field of art for an improved syringe closure, which may include a tamper evident assembly that is capable of being used with standard or conventional pre-loaded syringes. If any such improved syringe closure were developed, it would be structured in a manner which overcomes problems and or disadvantages of the type set forth above or otherwise known to still exist in this field of art. In addition, the use and application of any such improved syringe closure, were one developed, would preferably be facilitated by the provision of a closure support, which may be in the form of a container or tray. Ideally, if any such combination of a closure and a support therefor were developed it would have certain structural and operative features which would facilitate appropriate connection of the closure to a conventional pre-loaded syringe in an efficient manner which would eliminate or at least significantly reduce the need for an individual to directly handle or touch the closure during its attachment to the syringe. In addition, any such improved closure, if developed, would preferably also be structured to provide a clear and unmistakable indication of tampering or of previous attempted access to the contents of the preloaded syringe. Finally, if any such improved closure and support for the closure were developed, it would also preferably be structurally and operatively reliable, while still remaining relatively easy and cost effective to make and use, in order to facilitate widespread use and acceptance throughout the medical profession. It would also be ideal if any such syringe closure were developed, for one or more components of the closure to include identifying codes, in a manner which facilitates the tracking thereof along a distribution route, which would allow for the history of a particular pre-filled syringe to be tracked, should that be desired or ever be needed.